Submitted for your approval: a cross-cultural study of attachment anxiety, contingencies of self-worth and selfie-related behaviour. Issue 7 (19th May 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Yue, Zhiying; Stefanone, Michael A.
• Is Part Of: Behaviour & information technology. Volume 41:Issue 7(2022)
• Page Start: 1554
• Page End: 1565
• Publication Date: 2022-05-19
• Subjects: Social media -- selfie -- cross-cultural -- attachment anxiety -- selective self-presentation; Electronic data processing -- Periodicals; Human engineering -- Periodicals; Information technology -- Periodicals; 303.4833
• DOI: 10.1080/0144929X.2021.1887353
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0144-929X

Abstract

ABSTRACT: In this study, we examine the social and psychological motives for a set of strategic selfie-related behaviour including the manipulation and sharing digital images of oneself, captured by oneself. We argue that attachment anxiety stemming from provider relationships at a young age explains development of self-worth based on approval from others. The proposed mediation model demonstrates that approval-based self-worth then predicts selfie-related behaviour. Given the cross-cultural nature of our data, we conducted multi-group comparisons using nationality as a grouping variable. Path analysis results from culturally distinct samples of Singaporean ( N = 236) and American participants ( N = 336) revealed that approval-based self-worth mediated the relationship between attachment anxiety and selfie capturing frequency. The model explained more variance in American participants' selfie-related behaviour. Attachment anxiety predicted composition editing and subject editing, but only for Americans. Implications for future research are discussed in evolving technological and cross-cultural contexts.